Club for Growth’s Huckabee hit ad scores well

An ad from the anti-tax group Club for Growth attacking Mike Huckabee (R) scores high with Republican groups, which could be problematic for the presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor’s campaign, according to Wilson Research Strategies.

A survey of political insiders conducted by Wilson Research found that the Club’s ad scores above average in the “strong message” category with Republicans, Democrats and independents.

{mosads}“There once was a governor from Hope, Arkansas, who raised taxes like there’s no tomorrow,” begins the ad, which finishes with: “Who is that tax-and-spend liberal governor from Arkansas? Bill Clinton? No. It’s Mike Huckabee. Tell Mike Huckabee to give lower taxes a try.”

The political director at Wilson Research Strategies, Tyler Harber, said the apparent effectiveness of the ad, particularly with Republicans, could signal trouble for Huckabee as he seeks conservative support ahead of the Republican primaries.

“The Huckabee attack ad is very powerful with Republicans,” Harber said. “Clearly, this ad could have a significant impact on the race for the presidential nomination should Huckabee’s strong Ames [Iowa] straw poll performance raise his profile enough to matter.”

The survey also asked participants to rate ads for the 2007 Louisiana gubernatorial race between Rep. Bobby Jindal (R) and state Sen. Walter Boasso (D).

Jindal, the favorite in the race, focuses on corruption issues in the state, but it is hardly the type of spot that will make waves in the race, Harber said.

“It fails to stand out from the field of other political advertising and is significantly below average in terms of memorability and an ‘ad I would talk about,’” Harber said. “It is unlikely that this fairly neutral ad will cause a significant change in the Louisiana governor’s race.”

Boasso’s “gimmicky” ad, which takes place in a classroom and cautions voters against homing in on his standing in the race, scored poorly on credibility and effectiveness, Harber said.

“Its only redeeming quality is its ‘gimmickiness’ that allows it to score about average on memorability and ‘buzzworthiness,’” Harber said. “This is not necessarily a good thing, because a memorably bad ad can actually hurt a candidate’s image.”

Working with The Hill for its Air War feature, Wilson Research Strategies e-mails campaign or issue ads to survey participants who view the ads and rate their effectiveness on several criteria.